Topic: Microsoft changes their mind, will support XP for longer

[Dash Jones]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20080624/bs_nf/60443

Microsoft Extends Support for Windows XP To 13 Years

Mike Kent, newsfactor.com
Tue Jun 24, 4:51 PM ET
 


With many business and individual PC users rejecting Windows Vista, Microsoft took an unprecedented step this week by promising support for Windows XP for a full 13 years. That is three years longer than it has allowed for previous Windows operating systems

In a letter sent to customers this week, Bill Veghte, a Microsoft vice president, also seemed to confirm that Windows 7 will be released in 2010. That OS, Veghte wrote, will ship "approximately three years" after Vista became available in January 2007.

Avoiding Vista

Meantime, security patches and updates to Windows XP will be provided until April 2014, Veghte promised. In what could be considered an understatement, he wrote, "Our ongoing support for Windows XP is the result of our recognition that people keep their Windows-based PCs for many years."

Many large businesses have avoided upgrading to Windows Vista, which has been plagued with widely publicized problems, including incompatibilities with drivers for legacy hardware and applications. Upgrading to Vista could also be very expensive for enterprises that would need to upgrade older hardware. Many businesses and individuals have opted to buy Windows XP on new PCs.

While June 30 remains the cutoff date for selling Windows XP, retailers such as Dell are still selling preconfigured PCs with XP. And enterprises with volume licensing contracts will still be able to install XP even on new machines.

Downgrade Option

In addition, Microsoft has promoted a licensing loophole that allows new hardware buyers to purchase Windows Vista and then downgrade it to a previous version of Windows. Microsoft has cited such purchases as evidence of support for Vista, but many Web postings have disputed that.

"It's true that we will stop selling Windows XP as a retail packaged product and stop licensing it directly to major PC manufacturers," Veghte's letter says. "But customers who still need Windows XP will be able to get it."

Microsoft will also continue to sell a version of Windows XP to makers of low-cost computers through June 2010. Such machines as the Asus Eee PC are incapable of running Vista and the alternative would be for the makers to install open-source Linux as the operating system.

It looks like more people besides me are staying away from Vista like the plague.

[Nemesis]

Microsoft has run into certain issues that basically forced their hand:

1/ The length of time to bring out Vista.  The gap between versions was too long.  The time it will take the market to replace 99% of XP is therefore going to be longer. 

2/ The UMPC format as exemplified by the EEEPC.  Vista can't run on it and that gives Microsoft two choices, let a booming new market fall to Linux by default or extend the life of XP.  They have extended the life of XP Home explicity for that market.

3/ Active market resistance for Vista.  People are saying they don't want it to an unprecedented degree.  This makes the transition to Vista even slower and mandates longer support of XP.

4/ Government pressure.  There are a variety of on going anti-trust lawsuits around the  world, notably n the E.U. and dropping XP support when there is clearly still a demand illustrates that Micorosoft has the monopoly power and uses it to compell the market place.  They need to give the illusion at least that the market influences them and they are not the "all powerful Microsoft" they are reputed to be.

[FCM_SFHQ_XC]

The mistake for Microsoft: Vista is too revolutionary of a design from XP. Vista is still like any other OS, BUT because it is so different graphic and structure wise, people are avoiding it.

[Dracho]

I make mine look mostly my my old XP install.

[Rod ONeal]

The mistake for Microsoft: Vista is too revolutionary of a design from XP. Vista is still like any other OS, BUT because it is so different graphic and structure wise, people are avoiding it.

I want to be able to run my software. XP does that. When it doesn't, and something else does, I'll change.